Resources to help you prevent heart disease
Parkview Heart Institute is dedicated to providing you with the education and resources you need to lead a heart healthy lifestyle.
Are you aware of your risks for cardiovascular disease? Are you making healthy daily choices to lower your risk and follow a heart healthy lifestyle? According to the American Heart Association, over 80% of all cardiovascular disease can be prevented if one is aware of their risk factors and makes choices to lead a healthy lifestyle by being mindful of those risks. Risk factors identified by the American Heart Association are:
Major risk factors that can be changed:
- Cigarette smoking
- Blood cholesterol levels
- Blood pressure
- Physical inactivity
- Obesity and excess weight
- Diabetes mellitus
Other factors that you can't control that contribute to your risk of heart disease:
- Increasing age
- Being male
- Heredity, including race
To keep your risk factors in healthy ranges, be sure to:
- Get your blood pressure checked regularly and keep pressure below 120/80 mm Hg
- Don’t smoke cigarettes or use any other tobacco products
- Get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week
- Maintain a healthy weight by keeping your Body Mass Index less than 25
- Eat a nutritious diet that follows the American Heart Association recommendations
- Keep cholesterol levels in normal ranges (Total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol and Triglycerides)
- Keep fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL
To learn how your specific risk factors stack up, go to the American Heart Association website at www.heart.org and take the Heart Attack Risk Calculator assessment to determine your risks for heart attack or heart disease.
Keep the beat going strong! Learn your risks today and take action to follow a heart healthy lifestyle!
Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Clinic
Parkview Heart Institute's Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Clinic is here to identify and help you modify risk factors that could lead to heart disease.